Shelving system for a refrigerator

ABSTRACT

A refrigerator shelf system includes a refrigerator having a liner wall and a shelf. The liner wall defines a recess and has pairs of opposing protrusions extending into the recess. The shelf has locks extending therefrom. The locks are configured to engage the pairs of opposing protrusions when the shelf is transitioned to a horizontal position to secure the horizontal position of the shelf and facilitate the shelf supporting at least one item. The locks are configured to disengage the pairs of opposing protrusions when the shelf is transitioned to a vertical position to facilitate adjusting a height of the shelf.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 63/353,748 filed Jun. 20, 2022, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated in its entirety by reference herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to an appliance such as a refrigerator.

BACKGROUND

In order to keep food fresh, a low temperature must be maintained within a refrigerator to reduce the reproduction rate of harmful bacteria. Refrigerators circulate refrigerant and change the refrigerant from a liquid state to a gas state by an evaporation process in order cool the air within the refrigerator. During the evaporation process, heat is transferred to the refrigerant. After evaporating, a compressor increases the pressure, and in turn, the temperature of the refrigerant. The gas refrigerant is then condensed into a liquid and the excess heat is rejected to the ambient surroundings. The process then repeats.

SUMMARY

A refrigerator shelf system includes a refrigerator having a liner wall and a shelf. The liner wall defines an internal cavity, defines a recess extending outward from the internal cavity, and has mounting protrusions extending into the recess. The shelf has mounting tabs extending therefrom. The mounting tabs are configured to engage the mounting protrusions when the shelf is transitioned to a horizontal position to secure the horizontal position of the shelf and facilitate the shelf supporting at least one item. The mounting tabs are configured disengage the mounting protrusions when the shelf is transitioned to a vertical position to facilitate adjusting a height of the shelf.

A refrigerator shelf system includes a refrigerator having a liner wall and a shelf. The liner wall defines a recess and has pairs of opposing protrusions extending into the recess. The shelf has locks extending therefrom. The locks are configured to engage the pairs of opposing protrusions when the shelf is transitioned to a horizontal position to secure the horizontal position of the shelf and facilitate the shelf supporting at least one item. The locks are configured to disengage the pairs of opposing protrusions when the shelf is transitioned to a vertical position to facilitate adjusting a height of the shelf.

A refrigerator shelf system includes a refrigerator having a liner wall and a shelf. The liner wall defines a cavity. The shelf has a stationary portion secured to the liner wall and a receiving portion rotatably secured to the stationary portion. The receiving portion is configured to transition between a horizontal position to support at least one item and a vertical position that is adjacent to the stationary portion.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an elevated front view of a French-Door Bottom Mount type refrigerator appliance;

FIG. 2 is an elevated front view of a French-Door Bottom Mount type refrigerator with the refrigerator compartment doors open;

FIG. 3 is a partial front view of the refrigerator including a pair of folding shelves;

FIGS. 4A-4C illustrate a transition of one of the folding shelves from a stowed position to an operational position;

FIGS. 5A-5C illustrate a height adjustment of the one of the folding shelves;

FIG. 6 is a top isometric view of one of the folding shelves;

FIG. 7 is side isometric view of a locking mechanism for the folding shelves;

FIG. 8 is a top isometric view of the locking mechanism for the folding shelves;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 9-9 in FIG. 3 illustrating the engagement of the locking mechanism for the folding shelves;

FIG. 10 is a magnified view of area 10-10 in FIG. 9 ;

FIG. 11 is a partial isometric side view of the refrigerator including an alternative embodiment for a folding shelf with the folding shelf in a stowed position;

FIG. 12 is a partial isometric side view of the refrigerator that includes the alternative embodiment for the folding shelf with the folding shelf in an operation position without having items placed thereon;

FIG. 13 is a partial isometric side view of the refrigerator that includes the alternative embodiment for the folding shelf with the folding shelf in the operation position and having items placed thereon;

FIG. 14 is an isometric front view of the alternative embodiment for the folding shelf with the folding shelf in the stowed position;

FIG. 15 is an isometric front view of the alternative embodiment for the folding shelf with the folding shelf in the operational position;

FIG. 16 is an isometric rear view of the alternative embodiment for the folding shelf with the folding shelf in the operational position;

FIG. 17 is partial isometric front view of the alternative embodiment for the folding shelf with the folding shelf in the stowed position illustrating a locking mechanism for the alternative embodiment for the folding shelf;

FIG. 18 is partial isometric rear view of the alternative embodiment for the folding shelf with the folding shelf in the operation position illustrating a stopper mechanism for the alternative embodiment for the folding shelf;

FIG. 19 is an isometric front view of the alternative embodiment for the folding shelf with the folding shelf in the operational position illustrating a support wire for the alternative embodiment for the folding shelf;

FIG. 20 illustrates a second alternative embodiment for the folding shelf that includes a frame that is configured to receiving interchangeable plates;

FIG. 21 illustrates the second alternative embodiment for the folding shelf having a first of the interchangeable plates installed thereon;

FIG. 22 illustrates the second alternative embodiment for the folding shelf having a second of the interchangeable plates installed thereon;

FIG. 23 illustrates the second alternative embodiment for the folding shelf having a third of the interchangeable plates installed thereon; and

FIG. 24 illustrates the second alternative embodiment for the folding shelf having a fourth of the interchangeable plates installed thereon.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present disclosure are described herein. It is to be understood, however, that the disclosed embodiments are merely examples and other embodiments may take various and alternative forms. The figures are not necessarily to scale; some features could be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular components. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the embodiments. As those of ordinary skill in the art will understand, various features illustrated and described with reference to any one of the figures may be combined with features illustrated in one or more other figures to produce embodiments that are not explicitly illustrated or described. The combinations of features illustrated provide representative embodiments for typical applications. Various combinations and modifications of the features consistent with the teachings of this disclosure, however, could be desired for particular applications or implementations.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 , generally a refrigerator 10 of the French-Door Bottom Mount type is illustrated. However, it should be understood that this disclosure could apply to any type of refrigerator, such as a side-by-side, two-door bottom mount, or a top-mount type. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the refrigerator 10 may have a first internal storage chamber, internal cavity, or fresh food compartment 12 configured to refrigerate and not freeze consumables within the fresh food compartment 12, and a second internal storage chamber, internal cavity, or a freezer compartment 14 configured to freeze consumables within the freezer compartment 14 during normal use. The refrigerator 10 includes panels or walls 13 that form a housing and define the fresh food compartment 12 and the freezer compartment 14. The walls 13 may more specifically form an inner or internal liner of the refrigerator 10. The walls 13 may include a rear or back wall, a top wall, a bottom wall, and two side walls. The walls 13 may also include additional internal walls, such as a divider wall between the fresh food compartment 12 and freezer compartment 14.

One or more shelves 15 may be secured to the walls 13 within the fresh food compartment 12. One or more drawers 17 may be slidably secured to the shelves 15 or the walls within the fresh food compartment 12. More specifically, the drawers 17 may be slidably secured to the shelves 15 or the walls within the fresh food compartment 12 via tracks or rails. One or more of the drawers 17 may be either a pantry drawer 19 or a crisper drawer 21. Crisper drawer 21 may more specifically be drawers defining a storage space that is kept at a desired humidity that may be different from the remainder of the fresh food compartment 12, but that is optimal for maintaining freshness of fruits and vegetables.

The refrigerator 10 may have one or more doors 16, 18 that provide selective access to the interior volume of the refrigerator 10 where consumables may be stored. As shown, the fresh food compartment doors are designated 16, and the freezer door is designated 18. It may also be shown that the fresh food compartment 12 may only have one door 16. The doors 16 may be rotatably secured to the walls 13 by one or more hinges.

It is generally known that the freezer compartment 14 is typically kept at a temperature below the freezing point of water, and the fresh food compartment 12 is typically kept at a temperature above the freezing point of water and generally below a temperature of from about 35° F. to about 50° F., more typically below about 38° F.

The doors 16 may each include an exterior panel 20 and an interior panel 22 that is disposed on an internal side of the respective exterior panel 20 of each door 16. The interior panels 22 may be configured to face the fresh food compartment 12 when the doors 16 are in closed positions (See FIG. 1 ). The interior panel 22 may more specifically be a door liner. An insulating material, such as an insulating foam, may be disposed between the exterior panel 20 and interior panel 22 of each door 16 in order reduce the heat transfer from the ambient surroundings and increase the efficiency of the refrigerator.

The refrigerator 10 may also have a water inlet that is fastened to and in fluid communication with a household water supply of potable water. Typically, the household water supply connects to a municipal water source or a well. The water inlet may be fluidly engaged with one or more of a water filter, a water reservoir, and a refrigerator water supply line. The refrigerator water supply line may include one or more nozzles and one or more valves. The refrigerator water supply line may supply water to one or more water outlets; typically one outlet for water is in the dispensing area and another to an ice tray. The refrigerator 10 may also have a control board or controller that sends electrical signals to the one or more valves when prompted by a user that water is desired or if an ice making cycle is required.

Such a controller may be part of a larger control system and may be controlled by various other controllers throughout the refrigerator 10, and one or more other controllers can collectively be referred to as a “controller” that controls various functions of the refrigerator 10 in response to inputs or signals to control functions of the refrigerator 10. The controller may include a microprocessor or central processing unit (CPU) in communication with various types of computer readable storage devices or media. Computer readable storage devices or media may include volatile and nonvolatile storage in read-only memory (ROM), random-access memory (RAM), and keep-alive memory (KAM), for example. KAM is a persistent or non-volatile memory that may be used to store various operating variables while the CPU is powered down. Computer-readable storage devices or media may be implemented using any of a number of known memory devices such as PROMs (programmable read-only memory), EPROMs (electrically PROM), EEPROMs (electrically erasable PROM), flash memory, or any other electric, magnetic, optical, or combination memory devices capable of storing data, some of which represent executable instructions, used by the controller in controlling the refrigerator 10.

The doors 16 may also include storage bins 24 that are able to hold food items or containers. The storage bins 24 may be secured to the interior panels 22 of each door 16. Alternatively, the storage bins 24 may integrally formed within or defined by the interior panels 22 of each door 16. In yet another alternative, a portion of the storage bins 24 may be secured to the interior panels 22 of each door 16, while another portion of the storage bins 24 may be integrally formed within or defined by the interior panels 22 of each door 16. The storage bins 24 may include shelves (e.g., a lower surface upon, which a food item or container may rest upon) that extend from back and/or side surfaces of the interior panels 22 of each door 16.

Referring to FIGS. 3-10 , the refrigerator 10 is further illustrated, and flip or folding shelves 26 that are disposed with the refrigerator 10 are illustrated. The folding shelves 26 are shown to be disposed within the fresh food compartment 12. However, the folding shelves 26 may be disposed within the freezer compartment 14. Each folding shelf 26 is configured to rotate relative to the inner liner (or adjacent inner wall 13) from a stowed position 28 to an operational position 30. In the stowed position 28, a folding shelf 26 is rotated to a vertical position and may be disposed within a pocket or recess 32 defined by the inner liner (or more specifically defined by the adjacent inner wall 13) such that additional space is provided for large items that may be stored on a corresponding shelf 15 that is below the folding shelf 26. The recess 32 extends outward from the fresh food compartment 12, or alternatively from the freezer compartment 14. If the item on the correspond shelf 15 that is below the folding shelf 26 is sufficiently small, such that there is no interference between such a small item and the said folding shelf 26 in the operational position 30, the folding shelf 26 may be transitioned to the operational position 30 so that additional items may be stored on the folding shelf 26 within the space that is above the said small item that is disposed on the correspond shelf 15 that is below the folding shelf 26.

The folding shelves 26 are also adjustable vertically between a plurality of positions (e.g., see FIG. 5A-5C). A plurality of protrusions 34 extend from the liner (or more specifically from the inner walls 13) within each recess 32. The plurality of protrusions 34 may also be referred to as mounting points or mounting protrusions. The plurality of protrusions 34 may be arranged in pairs or opposing pairs that are horizontally spaced-apart from each other, wherein each pair includes an inwardly extending protrusion 36 and an outwardly extending protrusion 38. The pairs of protrusions 34 are aligned vertically and are arranged at different heights. Each inwardly extending protrusion 36 extends from a backside or back surface of a front wall 40 that defines the front of the recess 32, away from the storage compartment (e.g., fresh food compartment 12 or freezer compartment 14), and into the recess 32. Each outwardly extending protrusion 38 extends from frontside or front surface of a rear wall 42 that defines the back of the recess 32, into the recess 32, and toward the storage compartment (e.g., fresh food compartment 12 or freezer compartment 14). Each recess 32 may more specifically have front walls 40 that extend inward, along the sides of the recess 32, and partially overlap or overhang the recess 32. The front walls may be referred to as flaps and may be planar with the correspond inner wall 13 that defines the recess 32. Within each pair of protrusions 34, the outwardly extending protrusion 38 may be offset from the corresponding inwardly extending protrusion 36 such that the outwardly extending protrusion 38 is positioned slightly vertically higher than the corresponding inwardly extending protrusion 36.

The folding shelves 26 each include a plate or planar portion 44 that is configured to support items (e.g., food items) and locks, locking features, or locking mechanisms 46 that extend outward from each side of the planar portion 44 along a back side of the planar portion 44. Each locking mechanism 46 includes a forward extending tab or protrusion 48 and a rearward extending tab or protrusion 50 that are offset from each other forming a Z-shape. Each forward extending tab or protrusion 48 forms a pair with one of the rearward extending tabs or protrusions 50. Each forward extending tab or protrusion 48 and each rearward extending tabs or protrusions 50 may be referred to as mounting protrusions. Each forward extending protrusion 48 is configured to engage one of the inwardly extending protrusions 36 while the rearward extending protrusion 50 is configured to engage one of the outwardly extending protrusions 38 from one of the arranged pairs of the plurality of protrusions 34 in order to secure the folding shelves 26 in the operational position at one of the vertical positions or heights (e.g., see FIG. 5A-5C). The forward extending protrusion 48 produces a downward force on the inwardly extending protrusion 36 while the rearward extending protrusion 50 produces an upward force on the outwardly extending protrusion 38. The downward and upward forces generated by the forward extending protrusion 48 and the rearward extending protrusion 50, respectively, result from the cantilevered arraignment of the planar portion 44.

The spacing or distance D₁ between the protrusions 34 with each pair of protrusions is greater than the spacing or distance D₂ between the top and the bottom of the locking mechanisms 46, according to the orientation of the locking mechanism 46 as shown in FIG. 10 . In order to adjust the vertical position or height of the folding shelves 26, the locking mechanisms 46 is rotated counterclockwise (according to the orientation shown in FIG. 10 ) which disengages the locking mechanism 46 from the pair of protrusions 34 (i.e., one of the inwardly extending protrusions 36 and one of the outwardly extending protrusions 38) that the locking mechanism 46 is currently engaging. The locking mechanism 46 may then slip through the space defined by D₁, since the distance D₂ is smaller than the distance D₁, and move either up or down to another pair of protrusions 34 to adjust the vertical position of the folding shelf 26. The locking mechanisms 46 may then be rotated clockwise back to the position shown in FIG. 10 to engage another pair of the protrusions 34 at the new desired vertical position.

Referring to FIGS. 11-19 , a second embodiment of a flip or folding shelf 52 that is disposed with the refrigerator 10 is illustrated. The folding shelf 52 is shown to be disposed within the fresh food compartment 12. However, the folding shelf 52 may be disposed within the freezer compartment 14. The folding shelf 52 includes a stationary portion 54 that is secured to the inner liner (or adjacent inner wall 13) and a receiving portion 56 that is rotatably secured to the stationary portion 54 via a pins, hinges, or pivots 57. The pivots 57 may comprise pins disposed on the stationary portion 54 that engage orifices defined by the receiving portion 56, or vice versa. Pivots 57 may be disposed on each opposing side of the folding shelf 52. The stationary portion 54 may be secured to the inner liner (or adjacent inner wall 13) via fasteners (e.g., bolts, screws, rivets, etc.).

The receiving portion 56 is configured to rotate relative to stationary portion 54 and the inner liner (or adjacent inner wall 13) from a stowed position 58 to an operational position 60. In the stowed position 58, the receiving portion 56 is rotated to a vertical position that is adjacent to the stationary portion 54 such that additional space is provided for large items that may be stored on a corresponding shelf 15 that is below the folding shelf 52. If the item or items on the correspond shelf 15 that is below the folding shelf 52 is sufficiently small, such that there is no interference between such a small item 62 and the receiving portion 56 while in the operational position 60, the receiving portion 56 may be transitioned to the operational position 60 so that additional items 64 may be stored on the folding shelf 52 (or more specifically on the receiving portion 56) within the space that is above the said small item 62 that is disposed on the correspond shelf 15 that is below the folding shelf 52. In the operation position 60, the receiving portion 56 may be oriented horizontally to provide a platform for supporting items (e.g., food items).

The stationary portion 54 may include through holes 66 that are configured to receive fasteners. The fasteners may extend through the through holes 66, through the inner liner (or adjacent inner wall 13), and engage an anchor on the opposing side of the inner liner (or adjacent inner wall 13) in order to secure the folding shelf 52 to the inner liner (or adjacent inner wall 13). The stationary portion 54 may alternatively or additionally include hangers 68 that define keyed orifices 70. The hangers 68 may engage protrusions that extend from the inner liner (or adjacent inner wall 13) in order to secure the stationary portion 54 to the inner liner (or adjacent inner wall 13). Such protrusions that extend from the inner liner (or adjacent inner wall 13) may have head portions and neck portions that engage the keyed orifices 70 to prevent the stationary portion from being pulled away from the inner liner (or adjacent inner wall 13). For example, the protrusion may include the head of a fastener and a shank of the fastener.

When in the operational position 60, a support plate 71, which is part of the receiving portion 56, includes an upward facing surface 72 that operates as a platform for supporting items (e.g., food items). A ridge 74 may extend upward from an outer periphery of the support plate 71. The ridge 74 may function to prevent items that are disposed on top the upward facing surface 72 from slipping off of the support plate 71. The receiving portion 56 also includes a stopper 76 that functions to retain the receiving portion 56 in the operational position 60. More specifically, the stopper 76 may be an elongated plate, strip of material, or sill that is offset from the support plate 71 and is configured to engage a lower surface 78 of the stationary portion 54 when the receiving portion 56 is in the operational position 60. The engagement between the stopper 76 and the lower surface 78 of the stationary portion 54 prevents further downward rotation of the receiving portion 56 once the receiving portion 56 is in the operational position 60. Gravity may maintain the receiving portion 56 in the operational position 60 due to the cantilevered arrangement of the receiving portion 56 when in the operational position 60. The cantilevered arrangement of the receiving portion 56 when in the operational position 60 also functions to maintain engagement between the stopper 76 and the lower surface 78 of the stationary portion 54 (e.g., the cantilevered arrangement of the receiving portion 56 maintains a force between the stopper 76 and the lower surface 78 of the stationary portion 54). A cable or wire 79 may extend between the receiving portion 56 and the stationary portion 54 to further support maintaining the receiving portion 56 in the operational position 60 or may be used in lieu of the stopper 76 to maintain the receiving portion 56 in the operational position 60.

The receiving portion 56 may also include snaps 80 and the stationary portion 54 may include pins or protrusions 82 that extend outward from the sides of the stationary portion 54. Alternatively, the stationary portion 54 may include the snaps 80 while the receiving portion 56 includes the protrusions 82. The snaps 80 and protrusions 82 may be disposed on each opposing side of the folding shelf 52. The snaps 80 include hooks 84 that engage the protrusions 82 to retain the receiving portion 56 in the stowed position 58. The hooks 84 may be secured to the receiving portion 56 via biasing portions 86 that are flexible to allow for engagement and disengagement between the hooks 84 and the protrusions 82 so that the receiving portion 56 can transition between the stowed position 58 and the operational position 60. The biasing portions 86 may be designed to only flex when an external force that exceeds a threshold is applied to the receiving portion 56 to transition the receiving portion 56 from the stowed position 58 to the operational position 60. In the absence of such an external force that exceeds a threshold, the hooks 84 remain in engagement with the protrusions 82 to retain the receiving portion 56 in the stowed positioned 58.

Referring to FIGS. 20-24 , a third embodiment of a flip or folding shelf 88 that is disposed with the refrigerator 10 is illustrated. The third embodiment of the folding shelf 88 may be construed to include all of the same components and functionality as the second embodiment of the folding shelf 52 unless otherwise stated herein. The folding shelf 88 is shown to be disposed within the fresh food compartment 12. However, the folding shelf 88 may be disposed within the freezer compartment 14. The folding shelf 88 includes a stationary portion 90 that is secured to the inner liner (or adjacent inner wall 13) and a receiving portion 92 that is rotatably secured to the stationary portion via a pins, hinges, or pivots. The pivots may comprise pins disposed on the stationary portion 90 that engage orifices defined by the receiving portion 92, or vice versa. Pivots may be disposed on each opposing side of the folding shelf 88. The stationary portion 90 may be secured to the inner liner (or adjacent inner wall 13) via fasteners (e.g., bolts, screws, rivets, etc.).

The receiving portion 92 is configured to rotate relative to stationary portion 90 and the inner liner (or adjacent inner wall 13) from a stowed position (not shown) to an operational position 94. In the stowed position, the receiving portion 92 is rotated to a vertical position that is adjacent to the stationary portion 90 such that the additional space is provided for large items that may be stored on a corresponding shelf 15 that is below the folding shelf 88. If the item on the correspond shelf 15 that is below the folding shelf 88 is sufficiently small, such that there is no interference between such a small item and the receiving portion 92 while in the operational position 94, the receiving portion 92 may be transitioned to the operational position 94 so that additional items may be stored on the folding shelf 88 (or more specifically on the receiving portion 92) within the space that is above the said small item that is disposed on the correspond shelf 15 that is below the folding shelf 88. In the operation position 94, the receiving portion 92 may be oriented horizontally to provide a platform for supporting items (e.g., food items).

The receiving portion 92 includes a frame 96 that is configured to receive interchangeable plates 98. Each interchangeable plates 98 may be shaped to receive varying or various items. A first 100 of the interchangeable plates 98 may have an upper surface that is textured to increase the friction between the first 100 of the interchangeable plates 98 and items 102 that are stored on top of the first 100 of the interchangeable plates 98. The increase in friction helps to prevent the items 102 from slipping off the first 100 of the interchangeable plates 98. A second 104 of the interchangeable plates 98 may be shaped to receive a bottle 106. More specifically, the second 104 of the interchangeable plates 98 may have a recessed area 108 that matches a portion of a cylindrical shape of the bottle 106 such that the recessed area 108 operates to retain the bottle 106. A third 110 of the interchangeable plates 98 may be shaped to receive two cans 112. More specifically, the third 110 of the interchangeable plates 98 may have two recessed areas 114 that each match a portion of a cylindrical shape of one of the cans 112 such that each recessed area 114 operates to retain one of the cans 112. The recessed areas 114 may be angled such that the cans 112 are angled once received therein. A fourth 116 of the interchangeable plates 98 may be shaped to receive a plurality of eggs 118. More specifically, the fourth 116 of the interchangeable plates 98 may define a plurality of tapered orifices 120 that each match a portion of a shape of an egg 118 such each tapered orifice 120 operates to retain one of eggs 118.

It should be understood that any reference herein to a horizontal orientation or a vertical orientation may be a reference to a substantially horizontal orientation or a substantially vertical orientation. A substantially horizontal orientation may include any incremental orientation that is between exactly horizontal and 15° from exactly horizontal. A substantially vertical orientation may include any incremental orientation that is between exactly vertical and 15° from exactly vertical.

It should be understood that the designations of first, second, third, fourth, etc. for any component, state, or condition described herein may be rearranged in the claims so that they are in chronological order with respect to the claims. Furthermore, it should be understood that any component, state, or condition described herein that does not have a numerical designation may be given a designation of first, second, third, fourth, etc. in the claims if one or more of the specific component, state, or condition are claimed.

The words used in the specification are words of description rather than limitation, and it is understood that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. As previously described, the features of various embodiments may be combined to form further embodiments that may not be explicitly described or illustrated. While various embodiments could have been described as providing advantages or being preferred over other embodiments or prior art implementations with respect to one or more desired characteristics, those of ordinary skill in the art recognize that one or more features or characteristics may be compromised to achieve desired overall system attributes, which depend on the specific application and implementation. As such, embodiments described as less desirable than other embodiments or prior art implementations with respect to one or more characteristics are not outside the scope of the disclosure and may be desirable for particular applications. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A refrigerator shelf system comprising: a refrigerator having a liner wall (i) defining an internal cavity, (ii) defining a recess extending outward from the internal cavity, and (iii) having mounting protrusions extending into the recess; and a shelf having mounting tabs extending therefrom, wherein the mounting tabs are configured to (i) engage the mounting protrusions when the shelf is transitioned to a horizontal position to secure the horizontal position of the shelf and facilitate the shelf supporting at least one item and (ii) disengage the mounting protrusions when the shelf is transitioned to a vertical position to facilitate adjusting a height of the shelf.
 2. The shelf system of claim 1, wherein (i) the mounting protrusions are arranged in pairs of mounting protrusions, (ii) the mounting tabs are arranged in pairs of mounting tabs, (iii) the pairs of mounting tabs are configured to engage the pairs of mounting protrusions when the shelf is in the horizontal position to support the shelf in the horizontal position, and (iv) the pairs of mounting tabs are configured to disengage the pairs of mounting protrusions when the shelf is in the vertical position to facilitate adjusting the height of the shelf.
 3. The shelf system of claim 2, wherein the pairs of mounting protrusions are aligned vertically and are arranged at different heights.
 4. The shelf system of claim 3, wherein the pairs of mounting tabs are configured to engage the each of the pairs of mounting to protrusions such that the shelf may be positioned at a plurality of heights.
 5. The shelf system of claim 2, wherein the mounting protrusions within each pair of mounting protrusions are (i) spaced-apart relative to each other and (ii) vertically offset relative to each other.
 6. The shelf system of claim 5, wherein the mounting tabs within each pair of mounting tabs are offset relative to each other.
 7. The shelf system of claim 2 further comprising flaps partially overhanging the recess, and wherein a first of the mounting protrusions within each pair of mounting protrusions is secured to the flap while a second of the mounting protrusions within each pair of mounting protrusions is secured a rear wall within the recess.
 8. A refrigerator shelf system comprising: a refrigerator having a liner wall (i) defining a recess and (ii) having pairs of opposing protrusions extending into the recess; and a shelf having locks extending therefrom, wherein the locks are configured to (i) engage the pairs of opposing protrusions when the shelf is transitioned to a horizontal position to secure the horizontal position of the shelf and facilitate the shelf supporting at least one item and (ii) disengage the pairs of opposing protrusions when the shelf is transitioned to a vertical position to facilitate adjusting a height of the shelf.
 9. The shelf system of claim 8, wherein (i) the pairs of opposing protrusions are aligned vertically and are arranged at different heights and (ii) the locks are configured to engage the each of the pairs of opposing protrusions such that the shelf may be positioned at a plurality of heights.
 10. The shelf system of claim 9, wherein the protrusions within each of the pairs of opposing protrusions are (i) spaced-apart relative to each other and (ii) vertically offset relative to each other.
 11. The shelf system of claim 9, wherein the locks include pairs of offset tabs configured to engage each of the pairs of opposing protrusions to secure the shelf in the horizontal position.
 12. A refrigerator shelf system comprising: a refrigerator having a liner wall defining a cavity; and a shelf having (i) a stationary portion secured to the liner wall and (ii) a receiving portion rotatably secured to the stationary portion, wherein the receiving portion is configured to transition between a horizontal position to support at least one item and a vertical position that is adjacent to the stationary portion.
 13. The shelf system of claim 12, wherein the stationary portion includes a protrusion extending therefrom and the receiving portion includes a snap configured to (i) engage the protrusion to secure the receiving portion in the vertical position and (ii) disengage the protrusion to facilitate transitioning the receiving portion to the horizontal position.
 14. The shelf system of claim 12, wherein the receiving portion includes a stopper configured to engage a bottom surface of the stationary portion to secure the receiving portion in the horizontal position.
 15. The shelf system of claim 12, wherein the receiving portion includes a frame configured to receiving interchangeable plates.
 16. The shelf system of claim 15, wherein the interchangeable plates are each shaped to receive varying items.
 17. The shelf system of claim 16, wherein one of the interchangeable plates is shaped to receive a bottle.
 18. The shelf system of claim 16, wherein one of the interchangeable plates is shaped to receive a pair of cans.
 19. The shelf system of claim 16, wherein one of the interchangeable plates is shaped to receive a plurality of eggs.
 20. The shelf system of claim 16, wherein one of the interchangeable plates is textured to increase friction. 